Monday, July 13, 1998

In one of the most startling developments in the case of four church women murdered in El Salvador in 1980, newly declassified State Department documents have revealed that in 1985, then US Ambassador to El Salvador, Thomas Pickering, was told by the Salvadoran Defense Minister that he suspected high ranking military officials had ordered the murders of the three nuns and a lay worker. This at a time when the U.S. government was asserting that no high ranking officers were involved in the slayings. Even after Pickering’s conversation with the Defense Minister, the U.S. continued to deny any high level involvement.

On the eve of the U.N. Declaration of Human Rights, the United States is continuing to fight efforts to create an international criminal court. In a statement released late last week from Rome — where 161 nations are meeting to establish a court — the U.S. said it fears American soldiers may be vulnerable to war crimes charges. The Pentagon says it worries that American soldiers who unwittingly kill civilians during "peacekeeping" missions, could find themselves facing charges of crimes against humanity. Washington says it will not support a court with no veto power for the U.S. Many other nations, however, believe that only a court free of U.S. domination will have teeth.

Stories

In a Democracy Now! special, we look at the acclaimed Broadway musical "Fun Home," which swept the Tony Awards last month. Composer Jeanine Tesori and lyricist Lisa Kron made history as the first female duo to win a Tony Award for Best Original Score. "Fun Home" is also the first-ever Broadway musical to feature a lesbian protagonist. The musical is based on the 2006 best-selling graphic memoir by Alison Bechdel, "Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic." The memoir is a poignant exploration of family, memory, first love,...

A stunning indictment has been handed down in Cincinnati, focusing attention again on police killings of people of color. This is a start for accountability and justice. Cleveland should pay attention. As the thousand people gathered there last weekend said clearly, “Black Lives Matter.”

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